Chenge, fare thee well and return our dosh

I WAS delighted and felt good when I heard that the beleaguered former minister for infrastructure development, Andrew Chenge, decided to stand down. What a new beginning!

I firstly congratulate him for taking such a noble step. But again, before my pen goes dry, I must vehemently ask him to come clean on the allegations that led to his resignation; plus returning our ’vijisenti.’

Standing down alone does not suffice to clear the air for him. We need to know more; if at all Chenge is innocent as he would like us to believe. One thing is clear however, that UK’s newspapers have no stake in our home politics. Therefore Chenge should shed some light on the allegations.

What Chenge did after saying he would not stand down is noble, save that it is a bit controversial. Why did he call such a big amount of money mere peanuts? Is standing down itself enough reason to set Chenge free as our billions go under? Nay. My foot! We still need our money and more as far as accountability is concerned.

Stepping aside can be taken as a formal admission of wrong doing. If this sounds that, then Chenge has a very rough road to go ahead. If I were him, I’d even resign from the House. Because I let down my people that sent me to represent them by representing my suspicious interests.

Chenge’s decision has fulfilled the Latin sage: vox populi vox dei, that is the voice of the mass is the voice of God. Many of our likes need to borrow a leaf from Chenge. It is no secret. The ’mass’ would like to see them hitting the road. For he’s failed their offices even the-power-that be that appointed him. Let us face it point blank. That environed Chenge parked and jumped into the water, what are these others waiting for? Chenge’s decision shows how public offices are not good to cling unto. They undoubtedly belong to the masses not to the officials. So doing a wise and reasonable thing by standing down is not only noble but also accountability in the first place.

The evil thing that our officials commit is to love power more than those who entrusted them. This time around President Jakaya Kikwete did a noble thing to consent to the standing down of Chenge timely and expediently. He needs to back off from all tainted figures in his regime.

There is another thing yet for him to do timely and expediently. To put his house in order. It stinks. Though the remnants of fisadis have not yet been brought to the agora or all swept out, chances are there are still many more. He knows this as I do. Our economy is in the ICU not just because we’re lazy. But because some of us are untrustworthy and corrupt.It is therefore high and right time for Kikwete to do a noble thing in that he should not wait for ‘the mass’ to holler and complain.

Looking at the figure alleged to have been stashed in off-shore banks by just an individual, shall Kikwete read the signs of times, he, indeed will have bumped on the reason as to why our rich-in-natural-resources country is poor.

So he will turn things around by ushering in an accountable and responsible regime. Yeah, he needs to do this. For the time already wasted is a lot more than we can rejuvenate. But yet we can salvage the time left.

Let me surmise urging Mr. President to open a new chapter on thwarting corruption and resume accountability and responsibility altogether.


Though it is a big blow to lose such many close friends within a short time in a jiffy, yet the result from this is also noble for him and the nation.

It’ll be an unpardonable sacrilege to surmise without congratulating the media and Wananchi for staying put and seeing to it that justice is done. Bravo and bravado.

Fare thee well Chenge, my friend. That is what power and politics mean. Today you are on the top, tomorrow you are under even under the bridge.

Source: The Thisday May 6, 2008.